https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1198743X14604614

Columbia University

Infectious diseases often provoke exaggerated fear compared to other health conditions due to their rapid spread, invisibility, and imminent threat. This fear can trigger profound psychosocial impacts—such as stigmatization, denial, and panic—which vary depending on whether the outbreak is acute, gradually evolving, or anticipated. Memories of past epidemics and mass media portrayals significantly shape the public's perception of and response to these perceived threats.

Psychosocial Impacts of Infectious Diseases

Psychosocial consequences of infectious diseases

Feeling of anxiety, uncertainty and potential irrational behavior due to fear of an unknown disease.

Examples include:
-Feeling of being overwhelmed while watching a news segment about a potential new disease
-A nurse in an emergency department in a hospital asking for a long-term leave in order to be safe from infection from a new possible disease
-A person feeling wary of people of certain ethnicity due to the origins of a new disease. 


Germ Panic

Normal reaction to an evolving threat, preparing the individual. It is a both physical and mental reaction
Triggers:
Cerebral cortex, which leads to rational mental approach to current situation
Amygdala, which leads to a subconscious and potentially irrational approach


Fear

During acute infectious disease outbreaks, such as SARS, populations often experience intense and immediate psychosocial consequences. A lack of public preparedness can amplify physiological and psychological distress, leading to a progression of responses that typically include fear, denial, and frustration, alongside widespread social stigmatization.

Psychosocial Impacts of Acute Infectious Outbreaks

Gradually evolving epidemics, such as HIV/AIDS, produce distinct psychosocial impacts over extended periods. Prolonged awareness campaigns and activism can augment public health literacy, but they may also enhance a chronic sense of threat and fear, particularly when information is misinterpreted or sensationalized by the media.

Psychosocial Impacts of Gradually Evolving Epidemics

The prospect of forthcoming epidemics, such as avian influenza or mad cow disease, can trigger significant psychosocial consequences before an outbreak even occurs. Anticipatory fear highlights the subconscious memories of past epidemics, which can severely distort public perception and lead to disproportionate responses to the perceived threat.

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